Witchcraft and black magic seen as useful in Pakistan

From winning the heart of your beloved to getting a promotion at work, Pakistan’s practitioners of black magic say there is nothing they can’t help you achieve — for a humble donation.

The centuries-old practice is rooted in mystic Sufi lore and has traditionally been the domain of pirs (saints) and aamils (sorcerers).

A cure-all to some and for others a scam that preys on people’s superstitions, the sorcerers continue to thrive despite the disapproval of some hardline schools of Islam.

Not everyone approves. Mufti Tehsinullah of Islamabad’s radical Red Mosque said that while the practice of black magic was officially recognised in the Hadith — Islamic texts relating to the life of the Prophet Muhammad — it was wrong to exploit it.

“Practising black magic and making it a business is against Sharia and the fake practitioners have in many cases abused young girls who go to them for help in getting proposals,” he claimed.

While some of the outrage is because of the use of magic, some is because they are exploiting people. Yes, they don’t all charge a fee but they expect a donation. And if you get what you want, the donation can be large. Too many mistake correlation for causation. You make your own damn luck, you won’t get it by writing verses of the Koran on paper, folding them into a certain pattern and worn as a talisman. But, in uncertain times, people will seek out occult methods.

Is it just me or is Pakistan the world’s hotbed of irrational behaviors? From the article, it seems these beliefs are pretty mainstream. They sure get a lot of press about it. Perhaps this reflects stress and fear? It also leaves the population vulnerable to tragic abuses by such magic men.